


Orange Blossoms

by ToshiChan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Fluff, Language of Flowers, M/M, Slow Burn, a tad of angst, my attempt at a slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 08:38:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7501530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToshiChan/pseuds/ToshiChan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yahaba Shigeru, tattoo artist who keeps getting pressured into starting a relationship, meets Kyoutani Kentarou, a flower shop owner whose temper usually keeps people away. Though both find each other unbearable, they can't deny the attraction they have to each other and hi-jinks ensure. </p>
<p>Flower shop and tattoo parlour AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orange Blossoms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [porridgemilk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/porridgemilk/gifts).



> Yes, so this is my attempt at being a part of an exchange which hopefully turned out alright. Now I don't know much about flowers so...yeah, I hope I didn't muck anything up. I added in the language of flowers as well but I don't know much about it so if anything is wrong, please tell me! I hope this came out the way my paired person was hoping and that they like it.
> 
>  
> 
> For everyone else, just enjoy!

“I don’t like this design, it’s too simple and cute. It makes me want to throw up a little.”

“Oikawa San,” Yahaba said patiently. “Do I need to remind you that you no longer work here? Plus, you may not like it but other people do.”

“So rude,” Oikawa, Yahaba’s old senpai, pouted, snapping the precious sketchbook shut.

“Give it back,” Yahaba snatched up his work. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Because I can be,” Oikawa retorted childishly. “I want to see how my precious student is coming along without me.”

“I’m going fine.” Yahaba snapped, his patience draining away. “This is the third visit in four days Oikawa San. Please just leave. Go home to Iwaizumi, he’s probably getting jealous since you spend all your free time with me.”

“True,” Oikawa smirked. “Speaking of my boyfriend, when are you finally going to settle down with someone Yahaba?”

“I’m only twenty-one Oikawa,” Yahaba grumbled. “I’m just waiting for the right person. You took forever to tell Iwaizumi how you felt. So long in fact that he was the one who ended up confessing.”

“Why has my precious student betrayed me?” Oikawa sighed dramatically. This was the final straw.

“Get out,” Yahaba moved to the door, opening it and tapping his foot in an exaggerated motion.

“But…”

“Out.”

“Fine,” Oikawa held up a hand. “But on one condition. You get some flowers or something to brighten up this place. Just because we’re a tattoo parlour doesn’t mean you have to be all stereotypically gloomy. Just looking at this place depresses me.”

“If it’ll make you leave, then fine.” The irritated tattooist agreed. “Just, wait at least a week before you come and bother me again.”

Oikawa nodded, humming slightly as he left with a cheery wave. He left Yahaba alone, in the empty shop that he now owned. A desk of important papers was begging for his attention, but eager to have Oikawa leave him alone, and in need of some fresh air, Yahaba locked up and went searching for something to bring some life to his tattoo parlour.

…

He came back with a bunch of battered daisies that had been thrown at him across the counter and the urge to punch the rudest shop attendant (owner?) he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. At least the guy had made it perfectly clear he felt the same way about Yahaba.

“Kyoutani Kentaro,” Yahaba muttered, testing the name he’d read on the badge out. “You absolute jerk.”

()

“Something nice, not too fancy, not something that screams ‘I love you’ or anything like that.”

Kyoutani stared at the man in front of him, raising an eyebrow at the pitiful excuse for a description.

“Do you even hear yourself?” He growled. “Just make a decision, I’m not picking them for you.”

“Does your manager know you treat customers like this?” Matsukawa chuckled, waiting for Kyoutani to rise to the bait.

“Fuck you, I own this place.” Kyoutani crossed his arms, noting smugly that Matsukawa backed off slightly.

“Just, find me something, okay?” Matsukawa ran a hand through his bushy hair. “Please, for an old friend.”

“We’re not friends.”

“Well for a valid customer then.” Matsukawa countered. Kyoutani paused to reconsider.

Matsukawa and his ‘totally not a boyfriend’ Hanamaki could keep his shop afloat if all his other customers stopped abruptly, probably because Matsukawa and Hanamaki had scared them off. The two kept dropping in at different times to annoy the shop owner and buy flowers for each other before chickening out and passing them off to each other’s mothers. It was endearing in a way, but they took up a lot of his time and irritated the customers and Kyoutani really wished they’d just admit their feelings and stop bothering him.

“Fine, Azaleas,” Kyoutani moved to gather a bunch of the pretty pink flowers.

“What do they mean?” Matsukawa asked eagerly, poking at a petal and receiving a stern glare. “They kind of look like sakura.”

“One of their many meanings is for the receiver to take care of themselves and their family.” Kyoutani recited. It wasn’t like the language of flowers was interesting, it just got boring after every single customer demanded to hear it. Still, Matsukawa always lapped it up. He should just get Hanamaki a bonsai tree and leave Kyoutani alone. Not demand to know the story behind every plant like every single person who walked through his doors.

Well, everyone except that young man who had come in yesterday. At first, Kyoutani had thought he was kind of cute, with neat brownish hair and a swirling tattoo up his arm of two koi fish, dancing around each other in swirling water. It was the kind of thing Kyoutani liked but could never pull off. However, the man only had to open his mouth and banish all those evil thoughts. He’d been snippy and condescending and had immediately set the shop owner on edge.

Kyoutani shuddered inwardly and dragged Matsukawa back over to the counter to pay. He all but pushed the tall man out of the door once he was done and finally, swung the open sign to closed. He leant against the window and massaged his aching head. It had been a long day and for some reason, his mind kept going back to that pretty asshole with his snarky tone and way of speaking that made it seem like he was making fun of Kyoutani.

Hopefully they would never cross paths again. Once was enough for the grumpy flower lover.

…

“Would you just hurry up?”

The world just hated him, didn’t it?

()

Yahaba was in a rush and he didn’t have time for slow people who stopped to chat to a friend they’d spotted or dragged their feet or paused whenever they saw a pretty plant to take a photo, like the man in front of him.

“Would you just hurry up?”

“Maybe you should learn to slow down.” The offender snapped, not even turning to face Yahaba, like the tattoo artist wasn’t even worth his attention.

“I am late for work, thank you very…much.” The stranger finally turned around, revealing that he wasn’t a stranger but instead, the rude man from the flower shop.

“Great, you,” Kyoutani scowled at him. Yahaba’s face burned, itching to echo the statement, but he took a breath and composed himself.

Yahaba coolly ignored him and walked past. Mission accomplished, slow walker passed. He hurried on, refusing to look back, even though part of him said he should. Kyoutani was…an asshole. The rudest person in all of Japan, probably the whole world. But he was strangely…intriguing? Alluring? He was this buff, grumpy man who sported a dyed buzz cut and looked like he wanted to bite everyone’s heads off, but he owned a thriving flower shop with a quaint little name.

_Buds and Blossoms!!_

 He was the kind of man you’d expect to see working in, say, a tattoo parlour with simple straightforward name, like Yahaba did.

_Inked!_

Yahaba almost wanted to get to know him a little better, though the moment this thought entered his brain, he dismissed it as utter rubbish. Kyoutani was not the kind of person he wanted to know on a personal level. He had an image to maintain after all.

The best thing to do right now, was to forget all about the man, and find his flowers elsewhere. It would be better in the long run. He didn’t even know this man, not really. Just because he was…kind of cute, didn’t mean Yahaba should get to know him.

He kept walking, happy with this conclusion. One problem solved and onto the next. How to get Oikawa to stop annoying him.

()

Kyoutani watched the tattooed man hurry on, his pace an indicator of how busy he was. Kyoutani scowled. He’d hoped he’d never run into Yahaba again. The man had left a bad taste in his mouth the last time they’d met. It was strangely absent this time, but Kyoutani didn’t give it any thought. It was a small meeting, nothing major, nothing to dwell on.

Still, his heart was racing and his eyes followed Yahaba through the crowd. No one had ever snapped at Kyoutani like the tattooed man had. He intimidated people, especially his customers. Yahaba hadn’t been afraid to yell at him. He wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

_It’s just a thing, a plain old thing. Get over it man!_

His internal voice was right. That was the best thing to do. Move on from whatever spark he’d felt. Kyoutani was probably just imagining said spark anyway. There was no way he’d ever be interested in a bossy, frilly man like Yahaba. There was no way he’d ever be interested in anyone, and that was final.

But…if he was to ever date someone…

Daisies, Yahaba had bought when he’d first come in. Slightly weary ones, that Kyoutani had ended up throwing at him in his anger. Just cute little daises.

_I’ll never tell…_

()

Yahaba had a busy day. His tattoo parlour was a walk-in but most people booked times for the reassurance. Even with every other employee working, he didn’t have a minute to himself. On the counter, the flowers he’d bought a week ago wilted. They made the whole place feel even gloomier. Maybe he should invest in some brighter lights. They would last longer than dumb old flowers bought from a rude flower shop owner. Still, he was quite fond of the blossoms, and it had kept Oikawa off his back. Maybe he would go buy some more. Not because he wanted to see Kyoutani or anything, but for the good of his business. The daises were starting to resemble weeds.

Plus, it would be kind of fun to annoy Kyoutani, just for the entertainment of course.

As he worked on another client, he let himself imagine what it would be like to ink Kyoutani. His arms were perfect for it, and maybe his back. He could imagine a wolf howling up at the moon, it’s fur made up on intricate flowers linked together and the moon a pale bud still closed. His fingers itched to sketch the design. It would look perfect on Kyoutani’s back. Maybe when he went back, he could persuade the man to take a look at some designs.

Just maybe

()

And so the two settled into a sort of routine that went on for around two months. Yahaba would journey to the flower shop during breaks or on his days off, rare as they were. He would hang around and ponder what flowers to buy. Kyoutani would scowl at him from behind the counter. They’d bicker, they snap, they’d have petty fights about favourite foods (tempura was so better than just plain onigiri), favourite movies (Garden of the Words was much better than Akira and Ghost in the Shell, and prettier too) and favourite anime which ended up on them both liking this volleyball show. Occasionally he would run into these two men who, despite being strangers, encouraged him to keep visiting the shop because ‘grumpy Mad Dog Chan always cheers up after you visit.’ That was kind of strange. Kyoutani acted like he hated Yahaba. Maybe the men were just having a laugh. They seemed like the type to enjoy winding people up.

Yahaba liked the routine he’d built up, liked dropping by the vibrant store and picking out beautiful bouquets to brighten the store. It kept Oikawa happy, and it made Yahaba happy. He’d started to initiate conversations with the man and learn a few things about him. For instance, Kyoutani had two beautiful golden retrievers named Akira and Motoko.

“A real nerd, huh?” Yahaba had teased, getting a blush out of the flower man.

The more Yahaba learnt, the more he wanted to know. Soon, his trips to the shop were less for flowers and more for the conversations he could have with Kyoutani. They meant a lot to him, and he sort of hoped they meant a lot to Kyoutani as well.

“You have it bad,” Oikawa said one day as Yahaba confessed how often he’d been going to the store.

“I do not!” He yelled, but the words had wormed their way into his mind and he couldn’t let them go.

Did he like Kyoutani? He was kind at times, a total dork and he ran an amazing store. He was also extremely grumpy, rude and…and a man.

Had Yahaba really fallen for a man? He’d never really thought about his sexuality, just always assumed the right person would come along. He knew the backlash that came with dating a man, knew that Kyoutani was likely straight if you went by statistics. He should probably just stop visiting right now, and spare himself the heart ache.

That thought was what really set his feelings in stone.

Yahaba was in love with Kyoutani. Or at least, a very strong like. He didn’t know what could be considered a lot about the man, but he wanted to know more. He was genuinely interested in the flower shop owner and he’d never felt that strongly about someone before.

He wanted to act on his feelings, he really did. But…he was afraid. So he stayed silent. Until…that day.

()

That man, Yahaba, had started to come by much more often, asking questions as he bought flowers and sticking around longer than any of his other customers, bar the idiot duo that was Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

Kyoutani began to look forward to the visits, not that he’d ever admit it to anyone, especially not Yahaba. The little talks were a nice break from his usual schedule and sometimes it seemed like Yahaba was almost flirting with him. Kyoutani wasn’t sure what to think about that at first, but he slowly started to like it, even join in with a few of his own comments that would cause Yahaba’s cheeks to flame red.

It was a routine, one he liked very much.

Yahaba had shown him some of his designs once, a wolf made of flowers howling at a moon shaped liked a closed blossom. It was beautiful, stunning, the kind of thing Kyoutani would allow to grace his skin. Yahaba had given him an expectant look, and Kyoutani had hastily changed the subject. Had Yahaba drawn it for him? Much like he wanted to give the artist a special bunch of flowers, Yahaba had drawn him a tattoo design, one he actually considered getting.

It had taken a while for him to realise that his thoughts for the man were more than just friendly rivalry, or business acquaintances. It was even stronger than a tentative friendship.

It was the sort of feeling that swamped him, refused to leave him alone. Every time that bell rang, signalling a customer, his eyes would fly to the door, hoping it was Yahaba, smiling and ready for another conversation. If it wasn’t the man he’d been looking for, he’d proceed to sulk. If it was Yahaba, then his day would seem just that bit brighter.

“So, a crush. A little baby crush.” Matsukawa teased him as he bought another bunch of flowers to give away to the wrong person.

“Shut up and get out.” Kyoutani snapped back. It wasn’t a crush.

Was it?

Yahaba was cute, sure, he could admit that. He was chatty, and his artwork was absolutely gorgeous. He was talented and creative and even the things Kyoutani didn’t like, he’d come to tolerate. He was like…a white camellia.

_You’re adorable…_

A man though, a man. Yahaba was most likely straight, it was rare to find a man interested in other men in just everyday life. You needed to go to bars or meet ups. Flower shop, tattoo romance stories just didn’t happen in real life, especially to people like him. He didn’t deserve happiness, he already had it. Two beautiful dogs, a nice business, a friendly face at his shop every day. He didn’t want to ruin what he had, didn’t want to taint his perfect life.

So of course he couldn’t keep his dumb mouth shut the next time Yahaba came into the shop.

()

Yahaba trotted into the store at his usual time, lunch break, mouth still chewing at the final bite of food. He waved at Kyoutani who was busy with a customer who could not decide between pale pink roses or a darker shade, and amused himself in one of the seemingly endless rows of flowers, laughing at the odd stone stature of Buddha that graced the shelves.

Kyoutani joined him soon, watching as Yahaba admired the pretty arrangements of gloxinia.

_Love at first sight…_

“Would you ever consider having a cat?” Yahaba struck up a conversation first, leaning in to smell one of the flowers. “I love cats.”

“Never thought about it,” Kyoutani muttered. “I’m more of a dog person, I wouldn’t want my pets to fight.”

“Oh,” Yahaba shrugged. “Sometimes cats and dogs can be friends.” He moved onto a beautiful blossom of primroses, usually rare in flower shops.

_I can’t live without you…_

Their conversation for the next few minutes seemed awkward to Kyoutani, like Yahaba had something to say but he just wasn’t saying it.

“Spit it out,” he snapped eventually, nervous as his mind wandered down the treacherous road of romantic thoughts. He was probably just reading too much into the situation, but his desperation to know if Yahaba returned his feelings was driving him mad. “We haven’t got all day.”

“What?”

“Whatever it is you want to say, say it.”

“There’s nothing I really want to say.” Yahaba seemed flustered. He marched past some white violets, hidden behind the popular purple ones.

_Let’s take a chance…at happiness…_

“So you have nothing to say to me?” Kyoutani followed, his tone slightly snippy.

“I never said that.” Yahaba bristled. “I just don’t have anything in particular to say, is all.”

“Well stop wasting my time then!”

_Shit!_

“Wasting your time?” Yahaba shrieked. He was always the type to get wound up easily. “I wasn’t aware I was doing that!”

“Stop screaming!”

“You yelled first!” Yahaba retorted. His face was a bright reddish pink, matching the petunias in mid bloom he had stopped in front of. 

_Anger…_

“Because you were being an idiot, like always.” Kyoutani ground out. They were feeding off each other’s anger and frustration, the things left unsaid still stuck in throats and blocking any sensible conversation ideas. His temper was getting the better of him.

“So this is what you really think of me?” Yahaba said icily. “I thought you cared. I thought we were friends!”

Ouch, that had hurt.

“We are,” Kyoutani protested weakly.

“Well then why are you acting like this, like I’ve done something to make you angry. God, this is so typical of you, you’re like a child sometimes. You have anger issues or something? Un-fucking-believable.” Yahaba swiped at his cheek. Was he…crying? All this anger over a silly insistence on Yahaba saying something. What had Kyoutani done? He needed to stop, right now.

He kept going though, overflowing with emotions that confused him, mouth working too fast for his brain.

The spark between them, he’d been imagining it, right? Yahaba didn’t like him back at all, he got angry too easily with Kyoutani, and the shop owner couldn’t bear the thought of just being friends. He’d have to do something, to relieve the pain. If he was going to let Yahaba go, it had to be forever.

“You’ve been doing everything wrong since the day you first walked in. I only humour you for the business!”

There it was. The thing he shouldn’t have said but had to, the words that had caused Yahaba to freeze instantly on the spot.

“I never realised you felt that way.” Yahaba said dully. His tone was flat, his body slumped. “I’ll get out of your face. I can’t believe…I can’t believe I ever thought I loved you.” He marched out of the store, knocking a bunch of flowers over on the way out. The delicate blossoms of sweet peas scattered here and there.

_Goodbye…_

“Loved…me…” Kyoutani repeated to an empty shop. What had he done?

()

Yahaba arrived at work after a long night of crying. What had happened in that flower shop? It just seemed like a blur. Angry shouts and then Kyoutani striking him hard with words meant to harm. The tattoo artist knew he was partly to blame. He’d said some really mean things, and he had had something to say, which he had said.

Only it was too late by then…

“I loved him,” he said out loud. “And now…it’s ruined.” Dead leaves crunched beneath his feet as he walked, rotting away now that they were separated from their life force.

_Death…_

“Cheer up Yahaba, you look like someone ran over your cat,” a fellow worker of his, Watari, piped up when the man walked in. Yahaba just grumbled under his breathe, and moved to his station, reaching for his appointment book. He wasn’t in the mood for any sort of interaction today, especially with someone as cheery and optimistic as Watari. He was too worn out, and his head hurt from all the crying.

He immersed himself in his work, inking art onto scared teenagers who had just come of age and chatting quietly to regulars who were eager for more pretty patterns. He drew hearts, and scripted names inside them, laughing to himself at their stupidity. It’d never last. He was surprised it had even begun.

Love was cruel.

He found a bunch of purple hyacinths sitting at the doorstep during his lunch break, and tossed them in the bin.

_I’m sorry…please forgive me…_

()

Kyoutani closed the shop early, just before lunchtime, dropping a bunch of his best hyacinths at the doorstep of a familiar tattoo parlour, before heading home. People bumped into him, but he barely took notice. He’d ruined everything with his grumpy attitude. Yahaba had said he’d loved Kyoutani as he’d left. Lov _ed_. Past tense. He certainly didn’t love Kyoutani after the big blow up. Not that the man blamed him.

“Why didn’t I keep my mouth shut?” He asked Akira, who just wagged his floppy tail and panted a bit. Motoko merely shifted in her sleep.  “I should apologise, right? I mean a real one, not just flowers. He probably doesn’t know what they mean.”

Akira barked once, perking up slightly.

“Is that a yes?”

He didn’t get a reply this time. His gaze shifted to a bunch of wilting flowers on his kitchen counter, once beautiful pearly white anemones.

_Forsaken…_

()

Yahaba trailed through the park, the pink blossoms of the sakura falling in his hair. It had been a week since the fight in the flower shop, and he’d been taking long walks instead of going to see Kyoutani. Here and there, couples lay, spread out on blankets enjoying picnics and admiring the beauty of the flowers. He could have been one of them, _they_ could have been one of them, if not for the huge fight they’d had which had driven away the man he’d loved. He could have been laughing with Kyoutani, sharing sake and brushing the pink blossoms out of each other’s hair. The sakura usually represented mortality, especially within art. The fleetingness of life.

The fleetingness of their relationship.

Yahaba went back to imagining the possible picnic. They could have had dumplings, or sushi, or even grabbed some tempura on the way there, and some onigiri for boring Kyoutani. Miso soup in flasks maybe, to keep the cold at bay, if they stayed into the night to see the lights. Akira and Motoko could have been there as well, relaxing after a long walk.

Dogs barked somewhere in the park, and Yahaba pretended it was the two golden retrievers. He’d never met them, and now he never would.

“Yahaba!”

His imagination was getting to strong, he needed to shut it off right now. No use dwelling on the past. His love for Kyoutani would pass. There would be others.

“Yahaba Shigeru!”

“Huh?” That was weird, his name was still being called. He stopped, running his hand up his tattoo absently, the fish dancing around. His eyes scanned the surrounding grassy areas, finally settling on…a man sitting alone on a blanket, two huge golden dogs with him, one on either side.

His heart began to race. It felt as though he’d just sprinted a marathon. He could feel his cheeks burning and his mouth fell open.

“Kyou…tani?”

“Get over here!” The man called, waving frantically. Yahaba wanted to obey him, he really did. But…was it worth the heartache. What was Kyoutani doing? What, what, what, what, what. Yahaba had asked himself so many questions over this past week, and he’d gotten no answers. Now was a good chance to get those answers, and then move on. He walked towards the man he’d loved.

“What?” He said frostily, arms crossed. All three occupants of the rug looked up at him in perfect synchronisation. “Why are you here?”

“I…uh…kinda followed you, to find out that you take a walk here every afternoon now.” Kyoutani admitted. Yahaba’s cheeks felt like they were on fire now. How romantic, he wanted to say.

“Creep,” he spat instead.

“Yahaba, I’m sorry!” Kyoutani burst out. “I ruined everything. We had a nice little thing going on but then I just lost it because I didn’t know how to tell you that…”

“That you hated me?” Yahaba hissed. “That I was only tolerated for business? Three months of you stringing me on! Why wait that long to make yourself clear? Why wait that long to tell me that-”

“That I loved you too.” Kyoutani said softly, cutting him off. Silence fell upon the two. Blossoms continued to rain down, swept from their branches by the wind. A couple laughed in the distance.

“You…loved me too?” Yahaba repeated. Akira began to wag his tail. “You loved me?”

“I still do.” Kyoutani whispered. It was such an odd sound coming from such a buff man. “But I couldn’t stand the tension…and I was afraid. Two men together? It’s not…people don’t like it. What if my friends left me? What if you hated me? I lashed out because I was scared, and frustrated, and I’m not very good at communicating. I do, and then think. It’s gotten better over the years, but I was just so desperate for you to like me back and then…I thought you didn’t, and that it’d be better if I was just able to let you go.”

“Idiot,” Yahaba said, tears trailing from his cheeks. “You’ll never be able to let me go.” He flung himself at Kyoutani and the two fell backwards onto the rug, sprawled out. Lips crashed awkwardly, before softening, all the pent up emotions pouring out into one heart stopping moment.

“About damn time,” Kyoutani grumbled into the kiss.

“Shh,” Yahaba giggled. “I’ve been thinking about this for three months.” He ran his fingers over Kyoutani’s stubbly hair and twined his legs in his. Kyoutani wrapped his hands around Yahaba as best he could, holding him close. It was a beautiful moment; one they would remember forever.

Lying beside the kissing couple was a bouquet of flowers, handpicked by Kyoutani as an extra apology, but also for the meaning they held. These blossoms weren’t usually found in the common flower shop, but Kyoutani prided himself on not being a normal shop.

Orange blossoms.

_Eternal love…_


End file.
